Home > Recipes > Desserts > Cakes > Neapolitan Cake
by Michelle
May 8, 2014 (updated Feb 16, 2020)
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4.59 (29 ratings)
Let’s talk neapolitan ice cream. Yay or nay? I was seriously terrified of neapolitan ice cream when I was a kid. I would only entertain vanilla or chocolate as possible ice cream options, so if I was at a birthday party and someone whipped out a carton of neapolitan, I had a legit meltdown. You could scoop me the chocolate and/or vanilla, but oh my goodness, if you got even a speck of strawberry into my ice cream, I lost my mind. I don’t know why I was so opposed to strawberry; I’ve always loved strawberries! However, something about strawberry ice cream just didn’t seem right to my little mind.
Of course, I eventually got over it (fresh strawberry ice cream is now one of my favorites!). So over it, in fact, that I made an entire cake based on the neapolitan flavors.
To say that this cake was a labor of love is a massive understatement. I had seen some neapolitan cakes online, but they all consisted of cake from a box mix, and freezing the other half, neither of which I wanted to do. So, off to create single-layer cakes for each flavor. Trust me when I tell you that this was easier said that done. Over the course of three days, I must have made 9 or 10 different cakes, trying to get them just right.
The good news? It finally happened, and if you like strawberry, chocolate and vanilla, you are going to go bonkers over this cake. I thought that the flavors would be perfect for a fancy-pants Mother’s Day cake, and decided it needed some fancy-pants frosting work, as well.
I remembered seeing a ruffle cake online and definitely felt that a frilly finish was perfect for Mother’s Day. I mirrored the cake layers with the frosting on the outside, going with strawberry, then chocolate, then vanilla. It makes for a super impressive cake and is a lot less difficult than I imagined (albeit a bit time consuming).
I describe in the instructions below how to achieve this look, but I also had my Chief Culinary Consultant take a short video of me while I was frosting the cake to give you a visual:
I’m so glad that I’ve grown up enough to appreciate the combination of strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.
We’ll just ignore all of my other weird food tendencies ;-)
One year ago: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Two years ago: Strawberry Cream Cheese Crumble Tart
Four years ago: Toffee Pretzel Bark
Neapolitan Cake
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour hr
Cook Time: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Chilling time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 4 hours hrs
Inspired by neapolitan ice cream, layers of strawberry, chocolate and vanilla cake, frosted with the same flavors using a ruffle design.
4.59 (29 ratings)
Print Pin Rate
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Cake Layer:
- ⅓ cup (81.33 ml) whole milk
- ⅓ cup (113.33 g) strawberry jam
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) strawberry extract, optional
- 4¾ ounces (134.66 g) all-purpose flour, approximately 1¼ cups
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) granulated sugar, approximately ⅔ cup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes
- Red or pink food coloring, optional
For the Chocolate Cake Layer:
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup (122 ml) whole milk
- ¼ cup (54.5 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (125 ml) boiling water
For the White Cake Layer:
- ½ cup (122 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125 g) + 2 tablespoons cake flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into small cubes
For the Vanilla Frosting:
- 1½ cups (340.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3¾ cups (450 g) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4½ tablespoons (4.5 tablespoons) vanilla extract
For the Strawberry Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) strawberry extract, optional
- Red food coloring
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Instructions
Make the Strawberry Cake Layer: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 8-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the inside of the pan, tapping out excess; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, jam, eggs and extract (if using); set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed to combine. With the mixer still on low speed, add the butter and combine until the mixture resembles coarse sand, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add two-thirds of the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat at medium speed for 1½ minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining milk mixture and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl again and beat on high for another 20 seconds. With the mixer on low add a few drops of food coloring until the desired color is reached (I used 8 drops of red food coloring.)
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely..
Make the Chocolate Cake Layer: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 8-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the inside of the pan, tapping out excess; set aside.
Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add the egg, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and mix on medium-low speed until combined (batter will be thin). Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the White Cake Layer: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 8-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the inside of the pan, tapping out excess; set aside.
Whisk together the milk, egg whites and vanilla extract in a medium bowl; set aside.
Mix the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add the butter and continue beating on low until the mixture resembles coarse sand, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add all but ¼ cup of the milk mixture to flour mixture and beat at medium speed for 1½ minutes. Add the remaining milk mixture and beat for an additional minute.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 27 to 35 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Vanilla Frosting: Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
Make the Strawberry Frosting: Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, mix in the strawberry jam, heavy cream, vanilla extract and strawberry extract (if using), then increase the speed to medium-high and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
Make the Chocolate Frosting: Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the heavy cream and vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed to incorporate all of the chocolate.
Assemble the Cake: Place the strawberry cake layer on a serving plate and spread with about ½ cup of the strawberry frosting. Top with the chocolate cake layer and spread with ½ cup of the chocolate frosting. Top with the white cake layer and apply a crumb coat to the entire cake. Refrigerate until the crumb coat has set, about 30 minutes.
Frost the Cake: Fit three separate pastry bags with a #103 decorating tip. Fill each bag separately with the strawberry, chocolate and vanilla frosting. Starting with the strawberry frosting, hold the bag vertically, with the tip perpendicular to cake; use a swift back-and-forth motion 1-inch wide to make the ruffle, moving up the side of the cake as you go, going up about one-third of the way up the cake. Continue around the entire cake, then repeat with the chocolate, then the vanilla. Use the same technique to make a ruffle design on the top of the cake.
The cake can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen, with slices wrapped individually, for up to 1 month.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
Calories: 855kcal, Carbohydrates: 128g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 58g, Saturated Fat: 37g, Cholesterol: 151mg, Sodium: 317mg, Potassium: 282mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 105g, Vitamin A: 1650IU, Vitamin C: 0.8mg, Calcium: 106mg, Iron: 1.6mg
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Author: Michelle
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Originally published May 8, 2014 — (last updated February 16, 2020)
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102 Comments on “Neapolitan Cake”
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Radwa @ Healthy Life Trainer — Reply
Such a stunning cake! Looks absolutely delicious!
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Aubrey — Reply
Can I make this a day ahead of time? will the cake slowly sag/sink? Or can I even make the cake layers a few days ahead, freeze and then make frosting and assemble the day before?
Thanks in advance!! -
Sarah — Reply
Yum! Can I use Dutch process for the chocolate layer or will only regular cocoa powder work? Thanks!
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Michelle — Reply
HI Sarah, I think Dutch would work too, but I haven’t tested it.
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Cate — Reply
My 13-year old son requested a Neapolitan cake for his birthday, so I found your recipe after another one failed. Yours rocked! The cakes rose beautifully, they were moist and fluffy. I didn’t use strawberry extract, and I made an Italian meringue buttercream for the outside frosting because I needed something that I could rely on to stand up to being outside on a hot day for a few hours. I found the strawberry frosting to be especially tasty. Everyone loved this cake!
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Stephanie — Reply
I usually use buttermilk or sour cream instead of milk in my cake to make them more moist. Are either of these two ingredients ok to substitute in these cakes?
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Stephanie, I haven’t made that substitution in any of these cakes, so I can’t say for sure that they could be substituted without an issue.
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Carrie — Reply
See AlsoEASY Slow Cooker Recipes - I Heart NaptimePumpkin Recipes We Absolutely LoveCopycat Honey Baked Ham Recipe (holiday recipe) - The Chunky ChefThe Midwest's Best Cookie RecipesIt says on amazon that that strawberry extract is $22. Would it matter much if it’s real extract or imitation extract. I usually do not use imitation but I was just curious. What else have you used this extract for? Seeing if it’s worth it lol
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Carrie — Reply
Correction lol it was $22 for a 6 pack but amazon didn’t have any single bottles so what’s your thoughts on imitation or Emerson’s
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Carrie —
I meanemulsions
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Michelle —
Hi Carrie, Imitation would be just fine! I haven’t tried with emulsions, so I couldn’t say.
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Amy — Reply
My daughter specifically asked for a Neapolitan cake for her birthday (that’ll teach me to ask an imaginative 7-year old, “What sort of cake would you like for your birthday?”). I was so pleased to find someone else had already attempted it so I could borrow their recipe! It was a ton of work, but turned out beautifully–everyone was appropriately amazed when it was served. That’s all I really wanted. :) Here’s my feedback on the process: The recipes for the vanilla and chocolate layers were fine. The chocolate was my favorite layer–it had the best texture and richness. The strawberry layer says the strawberry extract is optional–you really need it if you want it to truly be berry flavored. I ended up mashing some strawberries and adding them in to pump up the flavor, but it was still too subtle. The method for mixing the batter was a bit odd to me, too–it was mixed like pastry dough, adding the fat to the flour until it’s crumby. I followed the instructions on the first layer, then used my own method (mixing all the wet, then adding the dry) for the other two layers–that was much easier and the cakes turned out beautifully. Regarding the frosting–if you frost the cake as pictured, which I did, you can cut the frosting recipes in half. The vanilla frosting recipe calls for way too much vanilla! I was not thinking when I added the full 4 tablespoons of vanilla extract or I would have cut that in half. It tasted bitter–the alcohol in the extract was fully evident in the frosting. So I had to mix and remix with cream and sugar until that was toned down. That may not be the case if you’re using imitation vanilla, but if you’re using pure extract, easy does it. It’s easier to add more, but you can’t remove too much! With the strawberry, again, you really need the strawberry extract if you want berry flavor. I doubled the amount of jelly, but the strawberry flavor still didn’t pop. The chocolate frosting wasn’t chocolatey enough for me, so I added cocoa powder, maybe 2-3 tablespoons, until it was a bit richer. My chocolate cake layer was the thickest and heaviest, so I settled that one on the bottom, followed by strawberry then vanilla. It ended up getting squished down by the other layers–this is a hefty cake! Frosted it with the vanilla crumb coat as indicated, then followed it with the ribbon technique pictured using a #104 tip. I took the advice of another cake maker and drew some guidelines in the crumb coat so I could make my ribbons straight. I measured across the top of the cake to find the center, then drew a long knife across the top and down the sides to mark four quarters. It made easy work of seeing how wide I needed to make each ribbon stripe, and acted as a guide to keep the vertical stripes straight. The finished product was impressive. I don’t know that I’d want to make it again–it’s a lot of work–but it was fun, tasty, and beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with us, Brown Eyed Baker! I would never have attempted it if you hadn’t done it first!
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Amy, Happy belated birthday to your daughter! Thank you SO much for taking the time to stop back and share your review, as well as feedback and tips. Much appreciated! I’m so happy to hear the cake was a success!
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Cassie — Reply
This was a fantastic and crowd-pleasing cake. It did take a long time to make! But I made the time for it, and boy was it worth it. The flavors melded so well together, the video here helped me to frost the cake beautifully, even with very little decorating experience, and each cake and each frosting recipe was spot on. I made it for my father in law’s birthday, and we only ate half of it! They ended up cutting the cake in half, freezing it, and and then using the other half for another birthday a few months later (the cake turned around so that it looked nice from the front!)- they though it was that beautiful. Definitely to repeat.
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Sara McIntosh — Reply
Mmm this cake was delicious!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTdpr0JA0Hg/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTdpcIwgbnV/
My daughter chose a Neapolitan cake for her birthday party and this was a really simple and delicious bake. It was devoured!
Thankyou for a great recipe. -
Griffin Ware — Reply
If I made this a second time, I can only imagine how great it’ll be. I never nail a recipe the first time. That being said, what did come out of it was more delicious and more beautiful than 90% of the cakes I’ve made in my life, and any part of it that could come to criticism is no ones fault but mine. It says that there were a lot of cakes that weren’t just right on the course to making this, and that attention to detail shows beautifully. Incredible recipe for an incredible cake, and a right joy to make too – if you don’t mind washing your stand mixer bowl again and again!
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Susan — Reply
Mix your vanilla batter then chocolate then strawberry and you won’t need to wash the mixing bowl. The left over chocolate batter doesn’t affect the taste of the strawberry. Just rinse the beaters, if you want. Do the same with the frostings.
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Ashwini Hegde — Reply
I made this during the weekend for my uncle’s 60th birthday celebration and it was huge success. Thank you for the awesome recipe.
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Nicole — Reply
This is obviously labor intensive, but I have made this cake as my birthday cake the last two years (and plan to again this year) because of how AMAZING it turns out. Everyone loves this cake, Michelle has this recipe perfected, and following it results in a beautiful, delicious cake. Thank you for this!
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brenda — Reply
Baked this today, as I was making I was thinking it seemed to be a lot of baking powder for the size of the layers and yes I was right, would definitely cut back on the baking powder next time as all three cakes rose high and then sunk as they do with too much leavening.
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Roanne — Reply
Beautiful cake! I used the strawberry & vanilla portions of the recipe plus my own chocoate cake verison and my friends loved it! Thank you very much! :)
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Urvashi Gupta — Reply
Hi! I want to make this cake for a friend’s birthday, but will this yield a perfect 1 kg cake?
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Michelle — Reply
Oh my, I don’t know, I didn’t weigh it!
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Richard — Reply
So, I’m wanting to recreate this, and it could just be me being daft but there seem to be some ingredients missing….?
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Richard, So weird! Someone else said they couldn’t see the ingredients, but I see them plain as day! Here they are in any case:
For the Strawberry Cake Layer:
⅓ cup whole milk
⅓ cup strawberry jam
3 egg whites, at room temperature
½ teaspoon strawberry extract (optional)
4¾ ounces (approximately 1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
6 ounces granulated sugar (approximately ⅔ cup)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes
Red or pink food coloring (optional)For the Chocolate Cake Layer:
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup boiling waterFor the White Cake Layer:
½ cup whole milk, at room temperature
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cups cake flour
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into small cubesFor the Vanilla Frosting:
1½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
3¾ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
4½ tablespoons vanilla extractFor the Strawberry Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon strawberry extract (optional)
Red food coloringFor the Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
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Michaela — Reply
Omg! Looks and sounds amazing! I’m wanting to make it for my sisters birthday but can’t see all the ingredients for it :(
Would someone be able to tell me the amounts? ?-
Michelle — Reply
For the Strawberry Cake Layer:
⅓ cup whole milk
⅓ cup strawberry jam
3 egg whites, at room temperature
½ teaspoon strawberry extract (optional)
4¾ ounces (approximately 1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
6 ounces granulated sugar (approximately ⅔ cup)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes
Red or pink food coloring (optional)For the Chocolate Cake Layer:
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup boiling waterFor the White Cake Layer:
½ cup whole milk, at room temperature
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cups cake flour
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into small cubesFor the Vanilla Frosting:
1½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
3¾ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
4½ tablespoons vanilla extractFor the Strawberry Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon strawberry extract (optional)
Red food coloringFor the Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
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Nicole — Reply
Made this as my birthday cake last year and it was a HUGE hit. I admittedly phoned it in on the fancy frosting style, but everyone still loved it. Two kiddos ages 9 & 7 still say it is their “favorite cake EVER” and I’ll be making it again this week!! Thanks for this one! :)
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Christa — Reply
Do you have to put the heavy cream in the frostings?
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Christa, Yes, cream is definitely necessary to achieve a smooth consistency.
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Heidelind — Reply
I made 2 of these this afternoon, I figured might as well, doesn’t take much more work to make two, and I’ll bring one to the office tomorrow to make Monday a little bit less…Monday. ThIs was a lot of fun to make, and it’s just such so visually pleasing. Just looking at it gives you joy:) and yes, it is delish:)
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Patricia — Reply
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe! My son requested a neapolitan cake for his birthday, and like you i couldn’t find any that didn’t start with a mix. I was so happy to find your site- the cake turned out beautifully and everyone loved it! They thought I bought it from a professional bakery :-)
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Debbie O'kane — Reply
Hi there
This cake look totally amazing- do you have the ingredients converted for the uk please? -
Adriana Padilla — Reply
How many cupcakes would each cake batter recipie make?
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Adriana, You should get about 12 cupcakes from each cake batter recipe.
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Adriana Padilla — Reply
I really loved how the whole cake turned out but i wanted the strawberry cake to taste a little stronger than it did. If i added some more strawberry extract or starwberry jam would it completely ruin the recipie?
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Adriana, I would add more extract, not more jam.
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kuene — Reply
Can i use a 9 inch cake pan rather than 8 inch?
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Michelle — Reply
Yes, but the baking time will need to be reduced a bit.
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bergamot — Reply
This cake looks amazing. I like the combination of flavors. But it looks like too much work in a day. So what can be prepared ahead. Can I prepare the frosting a day or two ahead and refrigerate it?
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Michelle — Reply
Yes, you can do that, you will just need to re-whip it again before you’re ready to frost your cake. You could make the cake layers a day or two in advance and wrap well in plastic wrap once cool.
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Tellou — Reply
Made this cake and it looked great. Really enjoyed the cakes themselves. Not so much the frosting but it’s just personal taste ;) Thanks again!
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Lauren — Reply
I made this cake and it turned out incredible! Looked beautiful and tasted delicious!
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Amelie — Reply
Can I do the strawberry cake with raspberries?
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Amelie, Yes, just use raspberry jam. Enjoy!
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Erik — Reply
I made this cake this weekend for a family dinner along with Neapolitan ice cream (also used your recipes). Turned out great and were a big hit. I did have a little denser white cake, but the other two worked out perfectly). Could the density have come from too soft of butter. Your directions say, soft, but still slightly cool. I may have had room temp soft. Is it possible that’s my culprit? Otherwise I’m not sure what I did wrong.
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Erik, I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake! The butter may have done it, but I find white cake to be completely finicky (not my favorite thing to bake!).
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Arlene — Reply
Made this cake for Mother’s Day. It was wonderful! Will keep this one to pass down to the generations! Thanks for posting it!
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Norma — Reply
OMG
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Jaclyn — Reply
GORGEOUS cake! Perfect job frosting it!
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Rebecca — Reply
the frosting……. cue gasp. This is a mightly effort and now i’m drooling.
looks great :)
http://www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com -
Cheryll — Reply
Looks very delicious! I like Neapolitan but like the vanilla and strawberry better.
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Amy — Reply
As soon as I saw this cake, I knew I had to make it for myself for Mother’s Day. Yes, I’m that kind of person – don’t want to leave my Mother’s day dessert to chance! Anyway, I made the cake last night with the plan of finishing it today. However, while the strawberry layer turned out perfect the first time around, both the vanilla and chocolate layers were disasters! They overflowed the 9 inch pans baked them in and ended up with huge craters in the middle. So I tried again today. The chocolate layer cratered again, but I just cut and fitted the two chocolate layers together so they’d look like the other two. The vanilla turned out fine, and I think it’s because I used 1 1/2 t baking powder instead of 2 as it called for. I’m at a high elevation and, while I never make adjustments (that’s just how I roll), apparently some were needed in this case. The frosting is delicious and since I’ve tasted cake scraps from my multiple layer attempts, I know the finished product is going to be fantastic! The frosting wasn’t too hard – at first I was doubtful that mine would look as nice as yours, but it really came together nicely.
Bottom line: I can’t wait to eat this tomorrow, it looks amazing, and if you’re at higher altitude, you might want to adjust the leavening.
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Amy — Reply
I should add that I used fresh strawberries instead of jam for both the cake and the frosting – just blended them up with a bit of sugar. No extract. I haven’t tasted the strawberry cake layer yet (since it worked the first time :) but the frosting was really good – much more fresh strawberry flavor than I expected (I might have used close to 4 T of puree).
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Laura Dembowski — Reply
Such a beautiful cake, Michelle! Sometimes complicated desserts like this are the best – fun to make and such a treat to eat.
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Steph in Lex — Reply
So pretty! As far as Neapolitan ice cream, for me, nay. I don’t like mixing my flavors like that. My husband has been trying to get me to agree to get Neapolitan ice cream for years but I’m always resistant and, since he’s opposed to buying more than one carton at a time, he misses out.
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marcie — Reply
I love the neapolitan flavor combination, and this cake looks so beautiful! It looks like it must’ve taken hours just to decorate — you did such a great job!
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Kathy@Playin with my Food — Reply
Impressive! I may just have to try this for a special occasion.
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Angelyn @ Everyday Desserts — Reply
Wow, the cake is stunning! Your photos are flawless – love this post!!
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The vegan 8 — Reply
This is stunningly beautiful!! Way too much work for me, I’m too lazy to do all those steps , haha, but I’m sure impressed with it’s beauty!!! Great job!
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Sues — Reply
This is an amazingly beautiful cake!! Such the perfect idea :)
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Tracy | Pale Yellow — Reply
Gorgeous! Love the ruffle video, so helpful.
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jenna @ just j.faye — Reply
Blast from the past! I haven’t thought about Neapolitan ice cream in forever. Thanks for bringing it back. This cake is beautiful.
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Martha in KS — Reply
Well done – that’s one gorgeous cake! Above my skill level.
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Rosemary S — Reply
Michelle that just looks so yummy you are great this is a lovely cake creation well thanks for sharing the recipe, the piping wow can see my self with a slice on Mother’s Day.
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Laura (Tutti Dolci) — Reply
Such a beautiful cake, your layers are perfect!
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My Linh — Reply
“Neapolitan ice cream. Yay or nay?” That question should be illegal! This looks so delicious ^^ Beautiful icing and beautiful pictures too. Great job :)
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Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog — Reply
I am at a loss for words to express how much I not only want to try a make this amazingly beautiful cake, but how much I just want a big slice, like asap :)
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Alison — Reply
First–wow, wow, wow!! What a gorgeous cake! The colors, the ruffles–really amazing!! Truly a masterpiece!!
Second–thank you for posting a recipe for a single layer strawberry cake! I am going to make cake pops for my kiddo’s school birthday celebration and have been desperately seeking a good strawberry cake recipe, not too big, for the occasion. This should fit the bill perfectly. Thank you!! :) -
Kelly - LEFT SIDE OF THE TABLE — Reply
What a beautiful cake!! The layers of flavors looks so wonderful, and I particularly love the frosting design! I was always weirded out by Neapolitan too! Hated the strawberry layer! Love strawberries but hate it in ice cream! This cake seems like quite a process, I can’t imagine making so many of them in only 3 days! But looks like it was worth it, and you have a winning recipe :D
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Shiran @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. — Reply
This cake looks gorgeous! You did a fabulous job with the frosting! It looks perfect.
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iscribbler — Reply
What a gorgeous cake! I love the layers – even the icing inside is layered! Truly a worthy cake of a great occasion. Fantastic work and while I don’t think I could manage the ruffles, I love your strawberry cake recipe and want to give it a try! Thank you for sharing.
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Samira — Reply
AMAZING CAKE!!! I LOVED!!!!
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Avra-Sha Faohla — Reply
Wow!! That first picture . . . I’ve never seen a ruffled cake before. That’s probably the most dramatic cake I’ve ever laid eyes on. Wow.
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denise — Reply
Hi Michele, you out did yourself again! what tip did you use for you ruffles?
thanks for sharing as always.-
Michelle — Reply
Hi Denise, Tip #103 (it’s in step #17 above).
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Stacy — Reply
Thanks for sharing. I’ve always wanted to tackle a neopolitan cake, and this is inspiring!
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Katie — Reply
Stunning cake! Looks absolutely delicious!
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I wasn’t a fan of neopolitan ice cream as a kid either. This cake is so fancy!
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Lynne — Reply
Hi Michelle – hope you are enjoying your vacation. I bet the sea and sand are just wonderful right now – it’s still so chilly in the northeast! This cake is so beautiful, obviously a labor of love. It looks like a stretch goal for some, but it’s nice to have one of those every once in a while.
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Beth Grussing — Reply
Gorgeous cake, hilarious post. I was exactly the same way as a kid….well, who am I kidding, I still feel that way about Neapolitan ice cream and I’m 37!
I’m going to give this cake a try and see if it cures me of my fear of the trifecta…chocolate, vanilla and strawberry! -
Wendy B — Reply
So beautiful!!! What a lovely cake!
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Kim Q — Reply
Holy CRAP, does that look good! But unfortunately for me, it also looks a bit too fussy. But should someone want to make me that cake, I would surely inhale it!
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Heather — Reply
I think I just found my birthday cake! I am normally a cupcake baker (and if I can throw alcohol in them, even better! HA), but I think I may give this a whirl! :) Just wish I could figure out how to layer cupcakes and turn these into cupcakes ;) But, yeah… I always get into days-long projects for my birthday creations! So, this fits the bill…
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Angela — Reply
Just layer a spoonful of each batter into each cupcake paper and bake them together. Then do a combined swirly frosting with all three flavors, like in this tutorial: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/08/tutorial-how-to-swirl-colored-icing-for-cupcakes/
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Heather —
Oooh!! Thanks!!! :)
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Heather M —
So I made my birthday cupcakes last night! They turned out well… A couple of notes: 1- The Chocolate layer must go on the bottom! The consistency of the batter made it sink anyway. 2 – There may be a smidge too much vanilla in the vanilla frosting as it turned brown and I had to add more “white” (granted, I started with a half recipe, but I DID half all the ingredients) 3- I got 46 3-layer cupcakes (using one Pampered Chef small scoop of each) and 2 more 2-layer (vanilla and strawberry; 1 scoop each of the PC medium scoop); each cake cup came out of the oven filled exactly to the top of the liner, so I prob could have added more, I just didn’t have another method of being consistent 4- I REALLY need to learn how to use a piping bag LOL My Easy Accent Decorator does the job, it’s just not as crisp and clean as I envision my creations, though I’m sure that also has to do with a softer frosting)
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Heather M —
Oh… and the instructions for the Vanilla Frosting leave out the heavy cream– I just put it in at the same moment as the other frostings’ instructions said…
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Sally — Reply
Gorgeous, and I”d enjoy eating a piece(once someone had cut it), but I’d never consider making it.
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joan trueblood — Reply
Yowza! With 2+ # of butter in this baby, you just know it’s going to taste good! This is going right on my Cake board on Pinterest. I was kind of “meh” about Neopolitan as a kid. Like you, I didn’t much like the strawberry. I might just try using raspberry for the cake, though, just because I already have that extract, and the link that you left for the strawberry extract shows it costing something like $28.
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Reshana — Reply
WOW!!!! Absolutely Stunning Michelle!!!! The icing looks gorgeous! Well done :)
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lori.russo — Reply
This is so impressive! You have really outdone yourself this time! I wish I could crawl through the monitor and get some. Thanks for all your hard work and perserverance. I wasn’t much of a strawberry icecream fan as a kid but now…there’s not much I wouldn’t eat!!!!
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bill @thewoksoflife — Reply
This is amazing and probably not something I would attempt but then again, I have daughters and my birthday is coming up. I do bake enough to know that this recipe must be delicious, nice job!
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SusieQ — Reply
I have always liked Neapolitan, it’s spumoni that freaks me out.
Beautiful cake -
Diana — Reply
This is sooo pretty!! I def. need to try making this!
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Librarian Lavender — Reply
What a fantastic cake! It looks divine! I love the colors!
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Mir — Reply
This is gorgeous. My mouth literally dropped open when I saw the piping and then the matching inside cake! You deserve so much credit for this work of art!
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Averie @ Averie Cooks — Reply
Wow this is definitely your most beautiful cake ever! What a showpiece and masterpiece! Neopolitan flavors sound so good to me right now. And your icing work is just perfect. So impressed and pinned a few times!
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Nazia @ This Baker Girl Blogs — Reply
Just beautiful!
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Ala — Reply
Love this! So as kids….yeah, okay trauma as kids. My parents taught us growing up not that it was Neapolitan ice cream, but NAPOLEAN ice cream. So whenever we’d go to order this, we’d say, “I’ll have the Napoleon ice cream please!” This stayed cute until about high school (sort of) or college (not really), at which point one of my friends *finally* pointed out to me my mistake. And here I am, silently yearning for a Neapolitan ice cream sandwich but not daring to make a peep lest I slip into my Waterlooean ways. This looks like an awesome cake I could make at home without Waterlooing though!
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Karen @ The Food Charlatan — Reply
It’s beautiful Michelle! I was exactly the same as a kid, except I was even worse, all I wanted was the chocolate. I still maintain that fake strawberry ice cream is pretty subpar. But I love this cake version! Have fun eating your 9 or 10 reject layers! :)
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Ami@naivecookcooks — Reply
Wow, this cake looks like lot of work but so gorgeous!! Hats off to you girl!
